Given that this is the last day of life, if you call that living, of the e-petition in support of grouse shooting (currently standing at 25,320 signatures), it is interesting to look back to the debate in parliament and the MPs who spoke or intervened in that debate. Here are two lists of MPs, a…
Author: Mark
Born Bristol, UK
Educated: Cleeve House School Bristol, Bristol Grammar School and Downing College Cambridge
Ph.D. University of Aberdeen, Winter activity of pipistrelle bats.
NERC post-doctoral Research Fellow, Edward Grey Institute, Oxford University
Former Conservation Director of the RSPB, 1989-2011
EPIC FAIL 2 – those townies
The pro-grouse-shooting petition which closes at midnight tonight (it is being put out of its misery) has gathered some of its ‘greatest support’, not in the countryside but, in central London (see above, and here is the link). One in 60 of their signatures comes from a single constituency, Chelsea and Fulham, and one in…
Mountaineers losing their grip
When mountaineers lose their grip on reality they are in for a hard fall. Errr – we cut down the forests a few centuries before you were born lads. What’s natural about this?
EPIC FAIL!!!
Grouse shooting is supposed to be popular – well not according to this perfectly fair comparison of support for grouse shooting compared with its radical, extreme and outrageous alternative of banning driven grouse shooting. Today is the last day of the e-petition set up as a rival to our own. If it receives 98,000…
Delivery by DPD
Sometimes there are interesting things on one’s doorstep. I was taking a stroll to the postbox the other day when a flock of c25 Pied Wagtails flew over calling. It was nearly dusk and so I assumed that they were heading off to roost somewhere. I spent some time in the autumn searching unsuccessfully…
Housing near to home
The Planning White Paper came out last week. I understand that planning is very important, and even that it can be quite interesting, but I’ve managed to swerve knowing much about it for decades and that is still my aim. So, I’ll leave comments to others better informed. But I keep hearing that we…
Don’t you just love them?
Country Life – but not as we know it
I am grateful to the Northants Library Service for such good service. The 18 January copy of Country Life arrived at Higham Ferrers on Saturday and I had a look at it on Sunday morning. Apparently Andrew Sells wrote to NE staff highlighting six priorities: more Hen Harriers in England – but I guess…
Bird flu update
Farming Today has carried out what they call an investigation into backyard flocks of poultry that have not been housed despite this being the law. Their investigation appeared to consist of taking a phone call from a listener and then going and talking to someone. I can’t say I’ve carried out an investigation but I…
Guest blog – Peak District paths by Bob Berzins
Bob writes: I have a life long passion for the outdoors through rock climbing and fell running. A cancer scare in my thirties made me appreciate many things I simply hadn’t noticed before, from the smallest plants to the gap in the sky from a missing raptor. It’s all worth fighting for and that’s what…